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Adrien Broner knocks out Antonio DeMarco for WBC title

ATLANTIC CITY -- With his opponent standing right in front of him from the opening bell, it was easy pickins for Adrien "The Problem" Broner Saturday night. The 24-year-old Cincinnati prodigy, clad in pink

ATLANTIC CITY -- He said earlier this week that Saturday night's fight card at Boardwalk Hall would not be just a boxing show, it would be the Adrien Broner Show.

Then the 23-year-old rising star from Cincinnati, who calls himself "The Problem" and who said he would take over the sport within the next year, went out and made it happen, causing plenty of problems for lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco.

Broner, wearing pink trunks and pink gloves, used his explosive power and precision punching to pound the Mexican into submission, finally putting the game champion on the canvas in the eighth round before referee Benjy Esteves stopped it at 1:49, keeping Broner's record unblemished and giving him the WBC belt in front of 4,256 fans.

DeMarco was a willing partner in the mugging, standing right in front of Broner almost from the opening bell in the style he's become known for, leaning in and leaving himself open for Broner to punch at will. And that's exactly what Broner did, throwing mostly uppercuts and deadly accurate combinations to finally wear the 26-year-old DeMarco down.

"I'm an elite fighter who can make a good, or great fighter look like an amateur, and I think that's what I did tonight," Broner said in the post-fight news conference. "I came in the fight smilin' and dancin,' and I smiled, danced and cried my way out. A true champion."

Broner took the first round to feel out DeMarco, and the three judges all gave DeMarco the round. From that point on, it was all Broner as he pounded Demarco with power shots. According to CompuBox, Broner averaged 39 power shots landed over the last five rounds. The average for the weight class:14.

"I came into the fight looking for a war, because I know DeMarco is a warrior," Broner said. "And he tried. But 'The Problem' stands -- 25 and 0, 21 knockouts, two-time world champion, 23 years old.

"They say before you can make something happen you gotta see it yourself, And I saw it, I dreamed of it and now I'm living my dream. I wanted to make a statement and I did."

Broner speed and power left DeMarco's face a bruised, swollen mess. he was finally undone by a powerful left uppercut that made his legs wobble as he went down.

Broner landed 241 of 451 total punches, an amazing 53% clip, while DeMarco landed 93 of 351 (26%). Broner connected on 216 of 373 power punches (58%), 136 more than DeMarco.

"He came to fight, but at the end of the day, there's not too many guys that can stand too many shots from Adrien Broner," he said. "I'll fight anybody. I'll be running this city (HBO) and sport for a long time to come."

Asked if he was surprised that DeMarco stayed inside and took so much punishment, Broner said, "Surprised? I mean, that's DeMarco. When have you seen him do different.?"

Afterward, DeMarco said, "Broner is very elusive and (I) fell into his game, and he made things very well."

DeMarco's promoter, Gary Shaw, watched his fighter get dismantled, then had nothing but good things to say about the dismantler.

"I think he could be the next Floyd Mayweather," Shaw said of Broner. "I think he's the total package. He's special."

Yet Shaw was proud of the way DeMarco fought, which he said is the way many Mexicans do their business.

"His defense and shoulder roll was hard to penetrate," said DeMarco (28-3-1, 21 KOs) through an interpreter. "I fought my heart out and I'll be back."

Shaw said DeMarco fought in front of Broner because "he's a Mexican. He fights like a Mexican, and very few people could have stood up to that punishment for as long as DeMarco did."

All three judges -- John Stewart, Steve Weisfeld and Alejandro Rochin -- scored it 69-64 for Broner.

There was a bit of controversy between the fighters before the bout even began.They were contracted to wear 8-ounce gloves, but DeMarco complained that Broner's looked smaller.

Since there was no scale available to weigh the gloves, DeMarco was offered a pair of the same gloves Broner was wearing, and he accepted, making it an all-pink glove fight.

Alas, it made no difference in the outcome. It was Adrien Broner's night from the start.